Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Dover on Sunday to tout a boost to the number of officers deployed to tackle smuggling gangs in a bid to drive down small boat crossings.
Since the start of 2025, the number of National Crime Agency officers tackling organised immigration crime has more than doubled from 376 to almost 800.
Mr Burnham visited Dover’s joint command room, the hub for monitoring small boat crossings, where officers from the NCA, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Border Security Command work to track movements across the strait using surveillance drones.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood meanwhile visited NCA headquarters in Stratford.
More than 1,000 small boats or engines have been seized since Labour came into power in 2024 and pledged to crack down on the supply of equipment to smuggling gangs who take migrants across the Channel.
Ms Mahmood said: “There is more to be done, but this Government is restoring control at our border.”
On Sunday, the latest figures showed that more than 2,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Mr Burnham became Prime Minister.
Home Office numbers show 326 migrants arrived on Saturday in four boats, bringing the number up to 2,057 since he took over from Sir Keir Starmer on July 20.
There were 1,962 crossings in the same period last year, with the total for the year so far having dropped significantly compared with this time in 2025.
Mr Burnham has said the Government’s plan to curb Channel crossings is working as numbers are down year on year, but he has admitted there is more to do.
He said on Friday that measures brought in by Ms Mahmood have “started to make a difference”.
Mr Burnham added: “Although this is the peak period of the year for crossings, overall the number of crossings is down, the number of removals of people is up.
“So, there is progress, but we both recognise that we need to do more.”
Wednesday marked the busiest day for small boat crossings across the English Channel so far this year, with 752 migrants arriving in the UK.
The provisional total for the year so far is 14,526.
This is 43% lower than the number recorded by this time last year (25,436) and down 14% on the same period in 2024 (16,903).
The Home Office notes that small boat crossings fluctuate because of changes in the weather, with peaks in the warmer summer months.
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